Let’s Pitch Breast Cancer, #3

There’s a growing backlash against the opportunistic marketers who use October/National Breast Cancer Awareness Month as a vehicle to pimp their clients and their client’s products.

That’s pretty much the point behind this Let’s pitch breast cancer series. Today’s contrived media release comes from the PR firm that counts Thor-Lo, the maker of padded socks, among its clients.

Nothing against Thor-Lo. They make good (if a bit overpriced) socks. But the pitch connects breast cancer to walking (see Let’s Pitch Breast Cancer #2) and then jumps to foot health in a leap that’s Olympic even by hyperbolic marketing standards. And then from foot health to the importance of wearing padded socks. Particularly, in October, padded PINK socks by Thor-Lo, which will donate $1 of the $15 price for a pair of pink Breast Cancer Awareness socks to breast cancer research. And probably get a tidy little tax write-off into the bargain.

Here is what DeDe LaRue, the Denver artist and sculptor who is going through chemo for her second bout with breast cancer, has to say about this particular campaign:

“OMG!–as if we didn’t have enough support for breast cancer, NOW the Institute for Preventive Foot Health” — Claire interjecting here to point out that this sounds like an institute to prevent feet, or prevent foot health — “is making it EASIER to be a hero for breast cancer.
“Not only do women have the most breast cancer, they ALSO have the most foot problems! (Could that be because it’s mostly women who walk around in high heels on concrete surfaces?)
So, less foot problems, less cancer? And now, THORLO, manufacturer of ‘padded walking socks’, has NEW pink designs, and out of the $15 retail price, a whole dollar will be donated to breast cancer research!–all this and a bag of chips!”

I think that means she’s not going to be buying pink socks any time soon.

Electa Draper is the health writer for The Denver Post and has covered every news beat in a 22-year journalism career at three newspapers. She has a bachelor's degree in biology and a master's in journalism.